SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

WILL THE SKY TURN GREEN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY? A magnetic filament snaking around sunspot AR1692 erupted on March 15th at about 0600 UT. The slow explosion, which took hours to unfold, produced an M1-class solar flare and a bright CME. SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) photographed the expanding cloud, which is heading directly toward Earth: The CME left the sun traveling some 900 km/s (2 million mph). Three-dimensional computer models based on observations from SOHO and NASA's twin STEREO probes predict the CME will cross the void between sun and Earth in two days or less. NOAA forecasters estimate a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives on March 17th. This means the sky could turn green on St. Patrick's Day! High latitude (and possibly even middle latitude) sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend.

March 16, 2013 – SPACE - A magnetic filament snaking around sunspot AR1692 erupted on March 15th at about 0600 UT. The slow explosion, which took hours to unfold, produced an M1-class solar flare and a bright CME. SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) photographed the expanding cloud, which is heading directly toward Earth: The CME left the sun traveling some 900 km/s (2 million mph). Three-dimensional computer models based on observations from SOHO and NASA’s twin STEREO probes predict the CME will cross the void between sun and Earth in two days or less. NOAA forecasters estimate a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives on March 17th. This means the sky could turn green on St. Patrick’s Day! High latitude (and possibly even middle latitude) sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend. –Space Weather

STRONG CME IMPACT: As predicted, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field at 0600 UT on March 17th. The impact lifted the solar wind speed from 300 km/s to 700 km/s and sparked a moderately strong (Kp=6) geomagnetic storm. Northern Lights spilled across the Canadian border into the United States as far south as Colorado: "Just after 4 am local time, the skies turned green and red behind the twin stone monoliths of Rabbit Ears Peak near Steamboat Springs, Colorado," reports photographer and astronomy professsor Jimmy Westlake.

In the contiguous United States, auroras also appeared above New York, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Michigan and the Dakotas. Scan the realtime photo gallery and count the states. Sunspot AR1696 has a beta-gamma magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Solar wind flowing from this coronal hole could reach Earth on March 19-20.

The show's not over. Geomagnetic storming is underway as Earth passes thrugh the wake of the CME. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras.

Solar wind speed: 565.5 km/sec

Published on Mar 17, 2013
The REAL Climate Changer: https://youtu.be/_yy3YJBOw_o
Ice Age Soon? https://youtu.be/UuYTcnN7TQk
An Unlikely but Relevant Risk - The Solar Killshot: https://youtu.be/X0KJ_dxp170

REPEAT LINKS:

WORLD WEATHER:
NDBC Buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
Tropical Storms: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
HurricaneZone Satellite Images: http://www.hurricanezone.net/westpaci...
Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
Pressure Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expe...
Satellite Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-app/sate...
Forecast Maps: http://www.woweather.com/weather/maps...
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/...
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-t... [Tornado Forecast for the day]
HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurric...

US WEATHER:
Precipitation Totals: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/List...
GOES Satellites: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/
THE WINDMAP: http://hint.fm/wind/
Severe Weather Threats: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-s...
Canada Weather Office Satellite Composites: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/satell...
Temperature Delta: http://www.intellicast.com/National/T...
Records/Extremes: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/rec...

SPACEWEATHER:
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com
SOHO Solar Wind: http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/
HAARP Data Meters: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/dat...
Planetary Orbital Diagram - Ceres1 JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr...
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/
Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-b...
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/i...
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSy...
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/
GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/i...
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spac...
ISWA: http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/I...
NOAA Sunspot Classifications: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lates...
GONG: http://gong2.nso.edu/dailyimages/
GONG Magnetic Maps: http://gong.nso.edu/data/magmap/ondem...


MISC Links:
JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/
RADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring...
QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/s...
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
Moon: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pac...

MARCH EQUINOX: The seasons are changing. Tomorrow, March 20th, the sun crosses the celestial equator heading north. This marks the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere and Autumn in the southern hemisphere. At this time of year, day and night are of nearly equal length, hence the name "equinox" (equal night). Best of all, Spring is aurora season.

ST. PATRICK's DAY CME IMPACT: As predicted, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of March 17th, sparking a geomagnetic storm (Kp=6) and bright auroras at high latitudes.

The stage is set for more auroras tonight. A solar wind stream is gently buffeting Earth's magnetic field, prompting NOAA forecasters to estimate a 30% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on March 21. Solar wind speed: 440.3 km/sec

SOLAR ACTIVITY MISSES EARTH: Sunspot AR1692 is crackling with C- and M-class solar flares. However, all of the eruptions are missing Earth because of the sunspot's off-center location on the sun's NW limb. Earth-directed flares are unlikely during the next 24 hours. Solar wind speed: 375.8 km/sec

CORONAL HOLE: A dark gap in the sun's northern atmosphere--a "coronal hole"--is spewing solar wind into space. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring the opening, shown here in an extreme UV image taken during the early hours of March 27th: Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. The sun is literally boiling itself away. Solar wind flowing from this particular coronal hole is expected to reach Earth on March 30-31. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the solar wind arrives. Solar wind speed: 503.7 km/sec

EMERGING SUNSPOT: A large farside sunspot that hurled multiple CMEs toward Venus a week ago is now rotating onto the Earthside of the sun. Its potential for additional eruptions will become more clear as it turns toward our planet in the days ahead.

AURORA WATCH: A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field, sparking bright auroras around the poles. During the early hours of March 30th, geomagnetic activity registered G1 on NOAA storm scales. There is a 20% to 25% chance of additional geomagnetic storms tonight as the solar wind continues to blow. Earth is inside a stream of solar wind flowing from coronal hole Solar wind speed: 451.3 km/sec

SOLAR MAX HAS ARRIVED! April fools. Solar activity remains low despite the predicted arrrival of solar maximum in 2013. What's going on? This quiet spell might be the valley in a double-peaked Solar Max. If so, solar activity could surge later this year when the second peak kicks in. Meanwhile, the sun seems to be playing a practical joke on forecasters. Solar wind flowing from coronal hole should reach Earth on April 6-7. Solar wind speed: 418.7 km/sec density: 3.1 protons/cm

BIG, QUIET SUNSPOT: Ten days ago, big sunspot AR1711 was on the farside of the sun hurling CMEs at Venus. Now it is rotating over the sun's southeastern limb where we can see it from Earth. Despite its fiery appearance, however, the region is quiet. No strong flares have issued from AR1711 since it targeted Venus in March. NOAA forecasters estimate a slim 10% chance of M-class flares during the next 24 hours.

WEEKEND AURORAS? A solar wind stream is expected to brush against Earth's magnetic field on April 6-7, possibly causing geomagnetic disturbances around the poles. Arctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras beaming through the waxing twilight of northern spring.

WEEKEND AURORA WATCH: A solar wind stream is expected to brush against Earth's magnetic field on April 6-7, possibly causing geomagnetic disturbances around the poles. Arctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras beaming through the waxing twilight of northern spring. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of M-class solar flares today. The likely source would be new sunspot AR1719, now rotating over the sun's eastern limb. The sunspot announced itself on April 5th with an M2-class eruption recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory: On the Richter Scale of Solar Flares, an M2-category blast is not considered especially intense. Nevertheless, this was one of the biggest flares of the year so far. The reason it stands out is that solar activity in 2013 has been unexpectedly low.

More M-flares are in the offing, but they will not be Earth-directed until AR1719 turns more squarely toward our planet. Geoeffective solar activity could begin early next week. Solar wind speed: 370.9 km/sec

SPOTTED SUN: With nine sunspot groups peppering the solar disk, the sunspot number is surging. Each of the circles in this April 8th image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory contains an active region: Three of the sunspots, AR1713, AR1718 and AR1719, have 'beta-gamma' magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class solar flares. Eruptions from AR1718, in particular, would likely be Earth-directed. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of M-flares on April 8th. Sunspots AR1713 and AR1718 have beta-gamma magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class solar flares. There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Solar wind speed: 365.3 km/sec

DOUBLE-BARRELED SUNSPOTS: Earth is staring down a double-barreled threat for solar flares--that is, sunspots AR1718 and AR1719. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the pair during the early hours of April 10th
:Each of these sunspots has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class flares. Of the two, AR1718 appears more likely to erupt. It is growing rapidly and is already crackling with lesser C-class flares. Any explosions today will be Earth-directed.

MINOR RADIATION STORM: Energetic solar protons are flying past Earth today. The particles were accelerated in our direction by the M6-class flare of April 11th. They can be seen hitting and speckling the detector of the SOHO spacecraft in this movie of the explosion. NOAA ranks the ongoing radiation storm as S1, which is considered a minor event.

STRONG SOLAR FLARE: The magnetic field of sunspot AR1719 erupted on April 11th at 0716 UT, producing an M6-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the explosion's extreme ultraviolet flash:

Coronagraph images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) show a CME emerging from the blast site. The expanding cloud should hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of April 13th, possibly sparking geomagnetic storms and auroras.

Early this morning the sun erupted, sending billions of solar particles into space at over 600 miles per second, raising the prospect of solar radiation storms above the Earth, according to NASA. A spokesman said the resulting emissions sparked a short-lived radio communications blackout on Earth. The radio disruption has since subsided. The appearance of the strongest solar storm of 2013 is part of an increasingly common sight as astronomers say this is connected to the sun's 11-year activity cycle. More intense solar eruptions are expected later in the year. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57579164-76/biggest-solar-flare-of-the-year-knocks-out-radio-transmissions/

Earth Facing M6.5 Solar Flare! - April 11, 2013. The coronal mass ejection associated with the M6.5 solar flare from earlier today is predicted to reach Earth in the late hours of April 13th. A blast of high-energy protons were propelled out from the Sun today as a result of the m6.5 solar flare eruption.

INCOMING SOLAR STORM: A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading for Earth, due to arrive on April 13th. NOAA forecasters estimate a a 60% chance of polar geomagnetic storms, so high-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

This is the CME, leaving the sun at 600 miles per second on April 11th. CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on April 13th around 22:45 UT. The impact was not a strong one, but geomagnetic storms could be in the offing as Earth passes through the CME's wake.

The CME was propelled into space by an M6-class eruption in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR1719. SOHO photographed the expanding cloud using an onboard coronagraph. Speckles near the end of the movie are caused by energetic solar protons hitting the coronagraph's CCD detector.

Note that although the CME appears to hit Mars and Venus, there is no actual physical contact. The cloud is merely passing in front of the two planets.

CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on April 13th. The impact was not a strong one; geomagnetic activity never crossed storm thresholds. Sunspots AR1718 and AR1719 have 'beta-gamma' magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class solar flares. A coronal hole is emerging over the sun's SE limb. Solar wind flowing from the hole could reach Earth on April 20-21.

FAST-GROWING SUNSPOT: Two days ago, sunspot AR1723 did not exist. Now it sprawls nearly 100,000 km (8 Earth-diameters) across the sun's southern hemisphere. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring the sunspot's rapid expansion: AR1723 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. If the magnetic field is changing as quickly as the underlying sunspot, it could become unstable and explode. Stay tuned for updates, as Earth would be in the line of fire.

CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on April 13th. The impact was not a strong one; geomagnetic activity never crossed storm thresholds. Solar wind flowing from coronal hole could reach Earth on April 21-22.

NORTHERN CORONAL HOLE: A dark coronal hole has opened up in the sun's northern hemisphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind into space. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory took this multiwavelength UV photo of the gap on April 18th: Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. In the image, arrows denote roughly where the solar wind is going. Solar wind from this particular coronal hole should reach Earth's orbit on April 21-22. A direct hit is unlikely, though. Because of the coronal hole's high northern latitude, the solar wind stream is likely to brush only the northern half of Earth's magnetic field. Nevertheless, polar sky watchers should be alert for auroras when it arrives.

DECREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: The magnetic field of Earth-facing sunspot AR1723 is in decay. This has prompted NOAA forecasters to lower the odds of M-class flares today to only 10%, and X-flares to only 1%.

CME TARGETS MERCURY: The magnetic canopy of sunspot AR1719 erupted during the late hours of April 18th, hurling a bright CME into space. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory photographed the cloud racing away from the sun's western limb: Earth was not in the line of fire. Instead, the CME is heading for Mercury: ETA April 20th. NASA's MESSENGER probe in orbit around Mercury will be monitoring the effects of the impact. If the CME overwhelms Mercury's relatively weak magnetic field, it could scour material off the planet's surface creating a temporary atmosphere and adding material to Mercury's comet-like tail. Solar wind flowing from coronal hole could reach Earth on April 25-27.

DECREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: The magnetic field of Earth-facing sunspot AR1723 is in decay. This has prompted NOAA forecasters to lower the odds of M-class flares today to only 10%, and X-flares to only 1%. Sunspot AR1719 is active, but it is leaving the Earthside of the sun. Geoeffective flares are unlikely

TWO NEW SUNSPOTS: On Friday they didn't exist. On Saturday they are big sunspots. Today, sunspots AR1726 and AR1727 are rapidly emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. The larger of the two, AR1726, contains nearly a dozen dark cores and spans 125,000 km from end to end. Click to view a 24-hour movie recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory: AR1726 is the fastest-growing and, so far, the most active. It is crackling with C-class flares and seems capable of producing even stronger M-class eruptions. Because of the sunspot's central location on the solar disk, any explosions this weekend will be Earth-directed.

BIG SUNSPOT: Sunspot AR1726 has a delta-class magnetic field that poses a threat for X-class flares. Fast-growing sunspot AR1726 is now so large that people are noticing it as blemish on the solar disk, visible when the sun is dimmed at sunrise or sunset. Bartholomew Tsang sends this evening snapshot from the Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre in Hong Kong: The behemoth active region, which spans more than 150,000 km from end to end, has a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for strong eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate 40% chance of M-class solar flares and a 15% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. Solar wind flowing from this major coronal hole could reach Earth on April 26-27.

SOLAR WIND: A slow but dense stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field on April 23-24, causing geomagnetic unrest around the poles. High-latitude sky watchers should ne alert for auroras. Sunspot AR1726 has a delta-class magnetic field that poses a threat for X-class flares.


April 22, 2013 – ARGENTINA - Thousands of residents of the Argentine city of Santiago del Estero in the early hours of Sunday morning caught a glimpse of a suspected meteor that lit up the sky above the city. The event took place at about 3:20 AM (local time). Argentine authorities believe the spectacular fireball was caused by a meteor entering the earth’s atmosphere and disintegrating. Some witnesses reported to local newspapers that they felt a slight tremor soon after seeing the meteorite. According to local media reports, police in the area were inundated with phone calls from frightened residents, and from parents who were worried about their children still out in the city’s bars and nightclubs. Meteors are small particles from the solar system that burn from friction when entering the atmosphere. According to the American Meteor Society, thousands of meteors of fireball magnitude occur every day, most of them unseen over the oceans or hidden by daylight. A similar event lit up the skies above 13 U.S. states on March 22. On February 15, a meteor exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains and sent fireballs blazing to earth, injuring almost 1,200 people and causing approximately 33 million U.S. dollars in damages. -NTD